School fees have an average adjustment of 9.4% for 2024 – 11/30/2023 – Education

School fees should undergo an average adjustment of 9.4% in 2024, according to industry estimates. The value above projected inflation is also a reflection of the economic losses that private schools accumulated during the pandemic period, when they had to offer discounts to families and experienced a high level of default.

The estimate was made by Grupo Rabbit, a consultancy specializing in education, in consultation with 800 basic education schools. Survey carried out by Sheet with schools in the capital of São Paulo also detected an increase of between 8% and 12%.

It is the second year in a row that the private sector has defined an increase above inflation, after having contained the adjustment of tuition fees during the pandemic for fear of losing more students. Last year, the average adjustment for 2023 was 10.9%.

The IBGE announced on Tuesday (28) that inflation measured by the IPCA (Broad Consumer Price Index) accumulated an increase of 4.61% in the last 12 months.

Christian Rocha, director of Grupo Rabbit, says that the adjustment calculated by schools still seeks to balance the financial health of the units after the pandemic. According to the consultancy’s survey, 70% of schools have debts — most of them due to non-payment of taxes to the government.

“Even with the adjustment above inflation, many schools still calculate that the amount will not be enough to pay the debts they accumulated during the pandemic. They suffered many losses in the first two years of isolation, when they had to grant many discounts and still suffered with default”, he says.

The survey also identified that the majority of schools did not plan large investments in technology and new educational resources for next year, precisely to avoid a greater readjustment.

“The cost they are prioritizing at the moment is the maintenance of the school building and teaching resources, which also includes the technological part. Along with the teachers’ payroll, maintenance is one of the highest costs of a school, because the wear and tear throughout the year is very high.”

Rocha also highlights that the advancement of large educational groups in basic education also harmed smaller and family-run schools. During the pandemic, many private groups took advantage of the schools’ debt to acquire them.

“With a large financial contribution, these groups managed to strengthen a segment of low-cost schools, that is, with monthly fees of around R$1,200. Smaller schools are having difficulty competing with these values ​​and have lost many students.”

By law, schools can only adjust tuition fees once a year. The percentage must be informed to families at least 45 days before the final date for registration.

Sieeesp (Union of Educational Establishments of the State of São Paulo) highlights that schools have different standards and needs, therefore, the adjustment percentages may vary between units. The entity, however, estimates that the increase in the state should be around 9%.

Sieeesp currently has around 11 thousand associated schools across the state. According to the union president, spending on teachers’ and employees’ salaries represents 60% to 70% of the operating costs of companies in the sector.